Post‐harvest quality of sunflower microgreens as influenced by organic acids and ethanol treatment

Abstract

Sunflower microgreens are nutrient‐dense food requiring minimal input but are highly perishable in nature. Low cost, generally regarded as safe (GRAS) chemical treatments (ethanol vapor [EV], citric acid [CA], ascorbic acid [AA], CA + ethanol [CA + E] and CA + AA, distilled water as a control) and packaging in polystyrene trays at 10 ± 1°C was used to extend their shelf life up to 16 days. Electrical conductivity decreased till 4th day and then increased from 4th to 16th day. Control followed by CA + AA had least electrical conductivity on 16th day. CA + AA followed by control and AA retained highest amount of total chlorophylls and carotenoids, respectively, whereas, a maximum decline was observed in EV and CA + E. AA. The treatments CA + AA, CA, and AA retained maximum amount of ascorbic acid, total phenols, and DPPH scavenging activity with least microbial load at the end of storage, respectively, whereas EV and CA + E exhibited a maximum decline. AA and CA + AA treatments were most effective in enhancing the shelf life of sunflower microgreens. Practical applications Microgreens are nutrient‐dense functional crops that are consumed fresh. They have a short growing span, do not require much inputs for growth, and have high nutrient composition than their mature counterparts. They have a high seed to biomass ratio and are microbiologically safe when grown indoors under a controlled environment. The current food system revolves around the consumption of fresh fully developed vegetables from fields. Microgreens can transform this and shift the focus to a new product that can be grown in urban setups, even homes, with minimal input and maximum output. It is quick and delivers healthy produce that does not have to be transported to great distances to be consumed. It saves transportation costs, reduce wastage, and spoilage that might take place in the transport chain and brings nutrient‐dense food to the masses. The actual price of the food will also be less due to reduced cost of labor, infrastructure, and transport.

Glycerophospholipidomics of Five Edible Oleaginous Microgreens

“…It is worth noting that recent papers dealing with microgreens of some of the oleaginous plants studied in this work, specifically soybean, 43 chia, 44 and sunflower, 45 did not consider the lipid component, including glycerophospholipids. Data obtained for PC and for the other GPL classes in the five oleaginous microgreens considered in the present investigation could thus be compared only with those reported for seeds or eventually for parts of the mature forms of the same plants.…”

Antioxidant Capacity and Shelf Life of Radish Microgreens Affected by Growth Light and Cultivars

“…On the other hand, radish microgreens stored in the dark had a higher radical scavenging activity and carotenoid retention [18]. Different washing treatments have also been investigated for various microgreens resulting in a significant increase in total phenolics and ascorbic acid during storage [29,30].…”

Impact of ethanol vapor treatment on the quality of water bamboo ( Zizania caduciflora L.) shoots during cold storage

“…During the storage of fruits and vegetables, in order to maintain its own physiological metabolism, the soluble sugar in the fruit will be continuously decomposed and consumed with respiration (Dalal et al, 2020). As shown in Figure 4, the soluble sugar in each group decreased with the increase in storage time.…”

“…It can delay the effects of tissue aging and has long been used as a non‐biological preservative disinfectant for preservation of fruits and vegetables, such as apple (Thewes et al, 2021), Chinese bayberries (Wang et al, 2010), and strawberry (Krusong et al, 2015). It has been shown that the ability of ethanol to slow down the ripening process and delay the shelf life of fresh produce depends on the concentration of its application (Dalal et al, 2020). Moreover, ethanol can also inhibit fruit quality loss, reduce fruit decay, improve fruit flavor, and delay fruit and vegetable softening (Han et al, 2010; Ji et al, 2019, 2021).…”